I’ll Always Remember our Water Date!

I didn’t want to get wet. Let’s just make that clear in the beginning. I was wrong. You should probably know that early on too.

When we planned a geocaching day with our friends Leigh and Tony, we specifically planned for hiking caches. The Bug said she wanted to go hiking and get in the woods, and that suited the rest of us. So, we found a couple locations in Delhi, Ohio (basically Cincinnati) where we could get in the woods, find some caches, and enjoy time with our friends.

Our second location was a set of hiking trails made by Boy Scouts on a hillside. We parked on the side of a road and started hiking. It wasn’t long till The Bug saw a creek at the bottom of the hill. “Guys, it’s time you start thinking about me and go down to the water.” (We’re still working on the whole humility thing, but you can tell she likes water.) Well, we ignore her and kept up our hike. Up the hill we went, then swept down through the woods, finding “treasures” all along the way. Come to think of it, asking an 8 year old to hike 6 miles without a creek break may be a bit extreme… but she did do remarkably well.

Finally, toward the end of the hike, the trail met up with the creek, and we stepped down into the rocks.

The Bug took off for the water. As the dad, I had to keep up with her in case she fell. Her balance isn’t what it should be and it helps to have a spotter. “Honey, don’t get your feet wet. Hiking with wet feet is not fun.” That lasted 7 seconds. As she splashed her way around the little pools of water, it didn’t take long till my hiking boots were submerged too.

We sloshed around for a while, till we were beckoned back to the trail. As we walked the last quarter mile or so back to the car, The Bug never let go of my hand, as she kept telling me sweet nothings. “We need a date night again.” “I love you a billion times!” “I’ll always remember our water date.” “I love you more than anything.”

Sometimes I can be such an adult. I can only think of the practical side of things — what has to be done or what is the best way to do something. It’s so easy to forget to have fun with my kid. I’m thinking it was a good idea to get in the water. What do you think?

Pro Tips:

Don’t be afraid to get wet, but make it at the end of the hike.

Waterproof your boots or wear hiking sandals. (Wet boots, socks, and jeans were not fun to hike in, even if we were basically done.)